People are being urged to think about their health and their future during Bermuda Organ and Tissue Donor Week.

Health workers will be out in force around the Island promoting healthy living and organ donor cards, and carrying out free health screening for anyone interested in checking up on their cholesterol, blood pressure and blood sugar level.

The aim of the Bermuda Organ and Tissue Donor Association, which officially formed last year, is to raise awareness about the importance of carrying cards and to encourage more families to talk about the issue of organ donation.

Registered nurse Debbie Hume, who works out of the intensive care unit at King Edward VII Memorial Hospital, said the issue was a matter of urgency for Bermuda.

She said more people than the international average suffered from diabetes and kidney failure on the Island.

"The major focus for us is having every Bermuda resident carrying a donor card, with it specified on their driving licence," said Ms Hume.

"We are also trying to encourage discussion within families because most of our donors are people who have died suddenly and there is enough stress on the family at that time, anyway, without them have to face the issue of organ donation for the first time.

"We find that it is much easier for the family to make the decision if it's something they have talked about previously with their loved one."

But Ms Hume said the other major focus of the week was to encourage younger people to get on the right road to good health.

"We have found with screenings we have done recently that the number of young people with high blood pressure has increased remarkably," she added.

"It has a lot to do with diet and exercise and a lot of Bermuda's children are overweight. A good diet and exercise are the keys to being healthy.

"This week is a whole education programme about improving lifestyles and making sure regular checks are carried out.

"If someone does have a higher than usual blood pressure, or cholesterol, then steps can be immediately taken to address it."

The Bermuda Organ and Tissue Donor Association is also trying to become a registered charity, and has written a constitution and is applying to the Centre for Philanthropy for permission.

Once the charity is officially formed, it will be able to distribute its own donor cards, instead of working under the auspices of the New England Organ Donor Bank, as at present.

The group is also working on the idea of setting up an organ donor computer data base, however, that will take some time and is a project for the future.

In the meantime, if anyone wishes to make cash donations to the group, they would be warmly received.

"Since we formed officially last year, more and more people are carrying cards and more people are calling us for information about where to get them," added Ms Hume.

"Last year, a lot of people had not even thought about it, but we are getting calls to the intensive care unit asking about how people go about getting hold of cards, so it has been positive."

Free health screenings will take place next week. The first one will be at the Bank of Butterfield on Reid Street, Hamilton, on Tuesday, between 11 a.m. and 2 p.m..

On Wednesday, screenings will be carried out at the MarketPlace on Church Street in Hamilton, between 1 p.m. and 4 p.m.

And on Thursday of next week, nursing staff will be at the Transport Control Department between 11 a.m. and 2 p.m.to carry out checks and to share knowledge about donor cards with staff.

The Bermuda Organ and Tissue Donor Association, which includes both recipients and members of families where lost loved ones have donated organs, also meets on the first Monday of every month at the Montrose building at the hospital on Berry Hill Road in Paget. The meetings run from 6 p.m. to 7 p.m. and new members are welcome to attend.

For more information, call the intensive care unit on 236-1275.